New Saugatuck Technology Report Says CFOs and CIOs are Aligned on Cloud – but Not In Synch

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The term “alignment” is often used to identify or explain how and why IT and Finance (and other business groups) differ, and why many important IT initiatives including Cloud are executed less than successfully.

But a new research analysis report by Saugatuck Technology, titled “Improving Finance-IT Alignment, Synchronicity, and Cloud Success,” indicates that Finance and IT leaders are typically not as far apart as often thought when it comes to Cloud-based management vision, expectations, strategy, and plans. Where they do show significant differences is in not what they see, but how they see it, and when they see it happening. In other words, the two sides tend to be relatively well aligned – but not well synchronized. And this is the typical, critical point of failure for Cloud Finance initiatives and investment.

“In Saugatuck’s experience, CFOs and CIOs tend to be well aligned on core Cloud thinking, strategy, and planning. But alignment is only a foundational step. Vision, communication, investment, pace of activity, and more need to be synchronized across groups as well,” stated report author and Saugatuck Research Fellow Bruce Guptill. “Unfortunately, that synchronicity is lacking, badly. Saugatuck’s research among CIOs, CTOs, and CFOs indicates that a lack of synchronization leads to failure more often than a lack of alignment.”

This report analyzes Saugatuck survey data and CFO / CIO interviews to examine key differences and similarities between IT and Finance leaders, in order to identify where leadership differs, and why, when it comes to Finance management, systems, and Cloud. It then provides insights and guidance regarding how to address and resolve differences in order to improve the competitive abilities.

“Identifying the problems and their causes are important, but providing real guidance as to how to solve the problems is where Saugatuck’s greatest value lies,” explains company founder and CEO Bill McNee.

This strategic research report shows how, where, and why CFOs and CIOs, and their direct reports, differ on how, why, and when enterprise Finance organizations can and should embrace and adopt Cloud-based Finance management solutions. Readers will learn not only about the important differences, but how these can be, and are being, overcome to enable relatively smooth, cost-effective, and successful Cloud adoption and migration for Finance.

The 15-page report begins with opposing views of current systems and status, works through differences in Cloud expectations and concerns, building to agreement on solution and provider selection criteria. At the end of each section, Saugatuck rates the relative alignment of IT and Finance leaders’ vision on a scale from Poor to Excellent, based on overlapping data sets and similarities in data patterns. Each section also rates the relative synchronization IT and Finance leaders on the same scale, based on differences in relative importance or weighting for each data point/factor listed.

Ongoing subscribers to Saugatuck’s Continuous Research Services (CRS) can download and read the report (after signing in to their Saugatuck accounts) by clicking here (http://bit.ly/1GMLzkY). Non-subscribers interested in purchasing and downloading the report can do so by clicking here (http://bit.ly/1JoBbmm). Saugatuck is pleased to provide media and associated parties a copy for their professional use; please email Chris MacGregor for access.